Aeroflot Open R8 - Kovalev inches closer to the title

2/28/2018 – In the penultimate round of the Aeroflot Open, Vladislav Kovalev put himself in sole lead after defeating his co-leader, IM Amin Tabatabaei. With this win, the Belarusian GM has made himself a clear favourite to win the event with a full point lead over his nearest rival. But a league of 9 players will be rooting for his opponent in the final round and if Kovalev loses his final game, as many as five players could catch up with him for shared first. Round 8 report.

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Kovalev ends Tabatabaei's winning spree

When I entered the tournament hall last morning, it occurred to me that there were only two more rounds remaining; time just flew past like a breeze! As a player, I have often had this feeling but whether or not I was happy depended on my performance at that event. I mean, if I had performed well, I would be sad that the tournament had finished. But if I had performed badly, I would be happy.

But as a writer, the feeling is that of excitement. Watching these masters battling it out right in front of you is a spectacle in itself. Sometimes, experienced masters make simple errors; sometimes, young guns show a master-esque flair. Being here as a reporter, therefore, is truly an exhilarating experience.

So walking into the venue, I had several questions running through my head. Will the higher rated Kovalev become the sole leader once again, or will it be the Iranian sensation, Amin Tabatabaei, pull off another stunner? How many decisive games will the top ten boards produce? What about the big game between the two Indian child prodigies, R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin, who will prevail?

As has been my routine so far, I would first show you some highlights of the happenings of the round | ChessBase India YouTube

The game between Vladislav Kovalev and Amin Tabatabaei was the one that attracted everyone's attention. This game began with a French Defence wherein Tabatabaei chose his queen's activity over his king's safety. Kovalev, in response, played in a balanced manner and put his opponent under a lot of pressure. As a result, the Iranian IM tried to exchange queens. He did succeed but the queen exchange cost him a pawn. In the ensuing endgame with rooks and bishops, Kovalev not only had an extra pawn but his pieces were also better than their counterparts. By move 39, the Belarusian GM had registered an emphatic victory.

This French Defence DVD is a complete attacking opening repertoire for black after 1.e4 e6. GM Nick Pert has played the French defence his whole life and provides all his la test and most up to date analysis crammed into 1 DVD.

Amin Tabatabaei took a few too many risks in his game against Vladislav Kovalev in round 8 | Photo: Niklesh Jain

After his scintillating win in the previous round, Anton Korobov played yet another game that put spectators on the edge of their seats in round 8. The game was a short one that featured the Gruenfeld Defence. Both players played in a sharp, aggressive manner. A mate in one move was threatened on the black king when Artemiev, Korobov's opponent, forced perpetual checks to hold the game to a draw.

The Grünfeld is a highly dynamic opening in which Black's position often seems to hang together by a single thread; and yet, this apparently precarious equilibrium appears to be enough to make it entirely viable — up to the highest level.

The game between Anton Korobov and Vladislav Artemiev was a short but spectacular draw | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Bologan had an extra piece against Najer in the endgame but there were no pawns remaining on the board! | Photo: Niklesh Jain

The game between Victor Bologan and Evgeny Najer was yet another intriguing battle. In the middlegame, the piece count for both sides was equal, but white was two pawns down. Both sides played aggressively from the very start in a Caro-Kann Defence but Bologan was the more successful of the two. Between moves 40-44, the Moldovan GM won a piece. However, the position turned pawnless on the 52nd move. Bologan had a rook, a knight and a light-squared bishop while his opponent only possessed a rook and a dark-squared bishop. The big question here was: would white's extra piece count despite there being no pawn on the board?

Russian International Master Mark Dvoretsky is perhaps the most respected chess instructor in the world today. His latest work, Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual, is sure to become a classic on one of the most difficult and subtile phases in chess. It covers all the most important positions required for endgame mastery, from elementary king-and-pawn endings to complex rook or queen endgames that have baffled even top grandmasters.

Murali Karthikeyan, who had performed really well from the very start of this event, looked helpless against Sethuraman's imposing play in this penultimate round encounter. Both players, despite being teammates in the Indian Olympic team, went for each other's blood in this encounter. In a Two Knights Defence, Sethuraman was able to win a pawn on the 21st move and did not let his advantage slip away until the very end.

Despite being teammates, Sethuraman and Murali Karthikeyan went all out against each other | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Both Gata Kamsky and Krishnan Sasikiran scored victories today and have a good chance of finishing among the top 10. However, to achieve this, they will have to win their final round game. | Photo: Niklesh Jain

The Modern Benoni is perhaps the most dynamic approach to meeting 1.d4 without sacrificing a pawn. A lot of legendary players have had a sincere love affair with this opening. The most imaginative world champion of all time, Michail Tal is perhaps the player who has done most to popularise the opening. In this DVD International Master Ari Ziegler is giving you a fighting repertoire against all White systems in the Modern Benoni.

Coach and his student (Vidit Gujrathi and Abhijeet Kunte), who both won their games in round eight were seen having a happy dinner after the round | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Clash of the prodigies

The two child prodigies from India and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Nihal Sarin were slated to play each other in round 8. The encounter (obviously) grabbed a lot of eyeballs not only because they were playing each other but also both of them are on the brink of scoring a GM norm.

Niklesh Kumar JainFIDE Instructor Niklesh Kumar Jain Jain is an international chess player who has participated in tournaments in almost in 20 different countries, winning the international tournament in Sri Lanka in 2010. He also worked for a television network as an anchor and news writer for two years and reported in Hindi during World Chess Championship 2013 and 2014.

See also

2/27/2018 – Amin Tabatabaei might have had a bad start to the tournament but ever since his first round loss to IM Eesha Karavade, the teenaged International Master from Iran has been on the rise. Scoring four wins in a row, he is now jointly leading the event with besides having scored a GM norm with two rounds to spare. With just two rounds to go, this young IM is definitely someone to watch out for. | Photo: Niklesh Jain

See also

2/26/2018 – The sixth round of the Aeroflot Open was tactics galore. While Vladimir Fedoseev went for broke to rip open his opponent's king in his game against IM Amin Tabatabaei, Krishnan Sasikiran caught Aryan Tari's king in a mating net after the latter gave up a piece for three pawns. Besides, the tournament saw yet another leader dethroned as Kovaleyev defeated Artemiev on the top board to take the sole lead himself. An illustrated report.

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